“Let us cast off any weight of this world that encumbers us and run this race to win! Rise up like eagles to be the head and not the tail, knowing who you are in Christ Jesus and the authority you carry because of His name”

The Lord has had a magnificent plan for our lives since the moment we were conceived: to love, to know, and to serve Him, with the gifts He has given us to help build His Kingdom. It is wonderful that the Lord wants to work alongside us and allows us to be part of His story. He calls us to minister to Him first and foremost, worshipping in spirit and truth, as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His special people, proclaiming His praises. Christ came to restore us to the Father and cultivate a loving relationship with Him, not to give us religion.

If we don’t know our calling, it’s our duty to find out and not be like the man who buried his talent. We must discover and be faithful to our purpose and be good stewards. We can either selfishly pursue our desires, missing out on God’s best for us, or embrace His will, which promises eternal fruit. The Bible says, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his very soul?” God knows every hair on our heads and cares deeply for us. Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as living sacrifices as this is our reasonable service. The Lord wants to use our hands, feet, and mouths to minister to the lost, defend the voiceless, and show His heart to those around us. We have been saved through faith, and this is not from ourselves, it is a gift from God, not by works, so that no one can boast, but the book of James tells us we are saved for good works.

We were born for such a time as this; now is the time to rise up like eagles! Let us call upon the Holy Spirit to invigorate, empower, and guide us to fulfill God’s mission, whether in a secular job, as a mother, or in full-time ministry. We are Christ’s ambassadors, proclaiming the gospel to a dying generation who don’t know their left hand from their right and have been attacked on every side by the enemy. Our lives are the Bible that an unconverted world reads, and we must reflect the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let revival start within our hearts, manifesting godly character. Be the change you wish to see in the world. After we have sat at the Lord’s feet, listened, rested, worshipped, and believed in Him, we are called to step out into a broken world, guided by the Holy Spirit, to fulfill His great commission.

Let us not get caught up in the comforts of this world. We were born for such a time as this! Time is short; our days are numbered, and each passing day brings us closer to standing before the Lord. Eternity walks alongside us, as the Word states, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, I will hear them and heal their land.” Jesus is coming back soon; may we be ready, our lamps filled with oil, having reaped a hundredfold on fertile ground. Be like the faithful servant who has ten talents to present, not like the one who buried his talent out of fear, for fear is the opposite of faith.

We have authority in Jesus’s name to cast out demons, heal the sick, and proclaim the gospel till He comes. We are pilgrims passing through a weary land, and we are to snatch as many people as we can out of the fire and into the sheepfold, including those who think they know the Lord but don’t, living in sin without true faith in Jesus Christ, worshipping idols, living like the world, with no change of character and no fruit, empty vessels for the enemy to use, to turn others away from following Christ. We must be set apart, holy as He is holy, and understand what this looks like by reading His word, the Bible.

Choose this day whom you will serve. You cannot sit passively on the fence. You either love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind, or you serve mammon, which can be anything that takes God’s place in your heart, the idol, be it a person, your children, your job, yourself, or the praise of others.

You cannot be a pleaser of man and truly follow God. Sometimes, we must step out alone to walk the narrow path of righteousness, but the Lord will be right there with us. The Lord never said it will be easy, but He did warn us to count the cost. He counted the cost and said we were worth going to the Cross for, worth being whipped, scourged, ridiculed, separated from the Father and accused falsely for our sins, so we can be reconciled unto Father God. We are but dust and ashes, yet He is mindful of us, we are vapours, here today and gone tomorrow, yet He is mindful of us, our Lord and Saviour and soon coming King who redeemed us, the Truth, the life, and the way, whom no one comes unto the Father, but by Him, the one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, said we are worth it. Isn’t He who died for our sins and rose again worth it?

Stand tall like “the great cloud of witnesses” before us. We are surrounded and cheered on as we run this race to win, empowered by the Holy Spirit to finish as overcomers in these last days. We cannot live a good life and ignore our calling while the world perishes around us. There are tasks only we can accomplish; do not let another take your crown.

Rally, Christians! Embrace your calling and shine brightly in this dark world. We were born for such a time as this. Rise up, for the time is now!

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**By Lori McPherson / Photo by Martin Dumboldt at Pexels